Perfect Moment

Hi and thanks for calling in, things have definitely been a bit quite around here - I blame all the sunshine we've been having, but as today has been overcast with a couple of heavy showers, I headed back to the craft desk.

I made the Distress Oxide background a while ago, my little girl, an image saved from the internet, was fussy cut before I  applied her.  I was lucky and won the last challenge at Stamping Sensations and received a voucher for Visible Image stamps and this is one of their sentiments, stamped with Black Versafine and heat embossed with clear EP.  Some die cut wildflowers to finish, a nice quick and easy card and flat for posting!

Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny again, so I'd better make the most of today's clouds!

Avril xx

Add a Quote

The new challenge this fortnight at Try it on Tuesday is 'Add a Quote'  -  but not just a one line sentiment.

For my card I've used the lovely Dancing Woman from Rubber Dance, stamped onto tissue paper as I didn't want the line frame this time.  I coloured her dress on the reverse with Snowflake paint before adding to an Oxide inked background, that was embossed with paste through the floral stencil.  I added the music flourish using Black Archival.  The sentiment, a Tim Holtz was stamped with black and heat embossed with Clear EP.  I've also added colour to the embossed flowers using Distress inks.

The rest of the DT have used some fabulous quotes, so please pop over to the main blog where you will also find all the challenge details.

Avril xx

Use Those Inks Anyway you want

It's time for a new challenge at Fashionable Stamping and this month it's 'Use your Inks Anyway you Want', but don't forget, we are a stamping challenge and there must be stamping as your focal point.

I've used part of the Glorious Bouquet stamp from Tim Holtz and used Distress Inks to colour.  The background is a very watery Oxide ink mix and the sentiments were stamped and heat set using clear EP.

We have Ink Art Designs as our sponsor and the prize is a stamp from the online shop.

The rest of the DT have some great inspirations for you, so please pop over to the main blog here where you will find all  the details.

I am entering this at -
   Stamping Sensations - In My Garden
  That's Crafty - Close to Nature
  Allsorts - In My Garden
  Country View Crafts - In the Summer Garden

Thanks for calling in, have a great day.
Avril xx

In the Garden

I seem to be in a bit of a floral mood lately - must bee all this hot weather keeping me in the garden, but it was a bit cooler yesterday, so  I had a  play with Tim's Flower Garden stamps,   I've used 2 sizes of the poppy, stamped onto watercolour card and coloured with a mix of Wilted Violet and Dusty Concord.
Inspiration has been a little slow with all this heat so I opted for an easy option and followed a recent tutorial by Jenny using Gesso and Oxide ink for the base of the card, I also blended on Frayed Burlap to give the panel a more aged look.   I also liked how she had used the Ornate Trims, and as I'd just bought these,  used that as a guide.   I then stamped a leaf section from the Glorious Bouquet in Forest Moss before adding some die cut Garden Greens.

I'm entering this at
   That's Crafty - Close to Nature
   Stamping Sensations - In My Garden
         

Avril xx

Things With Wings

Things with Wings is the new challenge at Try it on Tuesday this fortnight.  Lots of scope there - birds, bees, insects as well as my choice of butterfly.

I've had this silver box frame lying around for ages. so I gave it a couple of coats of gesso and then used the Tim Holtz Doily stencil on the top and sides.  When it was dry, I used my finger and rubbed Autumn Bronze Gilding Wax over the entire frame.

My butterfly and sentiment are from TH Perspective set of stamps, coloured with Distress Inks.  There's also a butterfly, stamped on vellum underneath, as the butterfly is only attached by the body.  The background is one of Astrid's freebie papers, which I've added some stencilling and background stamping to.  I've taken a photo before adding the glass and the 'space' between glass and frame was 'filled' with script tissue tape.

The rest of the DT have some great inspiration for you, so please pop over to the main blog for all the details.

I am entering this at:  Creative Artiste - Anything Mixed Media Goes


Avril xx

Inspired By

Hello and thanks for calling, today I'm sharing a page in my journal that was inspired by one of my 'special' visitors - 'my' Blackbird, and I'm sharing this over at Art Journal Journey, for Gill's theme of 'Inspsired By'

I've used torn napkin and stencilled flowers and leaves and my  blackbird is actually a photocopy from a napkin with a robin, I've reduced the size and copied it in black and fussy cut, adding a larger beak.                                                                                                                                                         

 Unfortunately, I get a lot of Wood pigeons coming into my garden and they are so greedy, so I           started to feed the smaller birds just outside the patio doors, yes they sometimes make a mess, but a   quick hose over the patio when I've watered the plants each evening  is fine by me.  However this one particular blackbird is so friendly and cheeky, that he looks in the window for me to feed him and as he's feeding chicks, this happens quite a lot.  He's usually sitting on the steps waiting for me when I open the curtains first thing on a morning!                                                                                                

I've added a couple of photos of this cheeky but cute bird (sorry about the reflection)

Hubby recons he gets better fed than him - suet and mealworm coconut, dried mealworms and suet pellets, I've offered to give hubby the same, but he said he didn't want to deprive the birds so he'll just stick to normal food!

Well I better go check whether there's a little visitor waiting for food.

Avril xx

Friends

Hi, and of you're benefiting from the 'mini heatwave' that was forecast, you're lucky, it hasn't reached my part of the country.  It's grey and there's a chilly wind blowing here, so I cheered myself up this afternoon with some crafty play (it was supposed to be a tidy up but I got side-tracked)
Anyhow, while adding to the bits box I came across this frame which was inside a card, I think it had had a photo of one of the children taken with Santa one Christmas time- and it just happened to almost fit this floral frame that I'd found on the internet, so I've fussy cut the top and bottom and just right!

To soften the grey frame I lightly blended Victorian Velvet around the edges.  I made a base card with Tattered Rose and stamped one of the Ornate Trims as a frame with Stormy Sky.  My two 'little friends' were attached with 3D tape and I triple embossed the sentiment with Clear EP.  I've cut and coloured some wildflowers and attached a stamped butterfly.

I suppose I did tidy up - that's two things used out of the bits box!

Thanks for calling in,
Avril xx